In a move that is sure to have reverberations for LGBTs around the globe, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation Feb. 11, citing ailing health and old age.
The news comes a day after LGBT activists protested Chicago Cardinal Francis George for his anti-gay stances.
Benedict is the first in nearly six centuries to step down from the papacy, after a career marked by increasing opposition from LGBT rights advocates the clergy sexual abuse scandals.
Benedict who took office in 2005, will leave his post Feb. 28, according to multiple reports.
In a statement released by LGBT Catholic organization the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM), the organization said the Benedict's resignation is an opportunity for church reform.
"The Pope should be the visible symbol of unity a role this Pope has found difficult to play," the organization said in the statement. "He should be the assurance to the Catholic faithful that they are members of the one holy [C]atholic and apostolic Church founded by Christ. However, Pope Benedict has focused more and on doctrinal enforcement and purity instead of trying to continue the reforms of Vatican II."
Late last year, Benedict made headlines by denouncing same-sex marriage during his Christmas address.
"People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given to them by their bodily identity, that serves as a defining element of the human being," he said, according to the Huffington Post. "They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves."
Also responding to the news was national LGBT Catholic group Dignity/USA. Dignity called on the future pope to cease ant-LGBT statements and to enter into conversations with LGBT Catholics.
"At this time of significant transition, we hope that the Cardinals who will elect the new Pope take time to listen to the people of the Church, and that they hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling for a Pope who will be a Shepherd to all of God's people," Dignity said in a statement. "We hope for a leader who will work to heal the divisions of recent decades, and who values dialogue above conformity."
Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network, which protested Chicago Cardinal Francis George a day prior to Benedict's resignation, said the end of Benedict's papacy could usher in change for the historically anti-gay hierarchy.
"A reckoning is coming within the church," Thayer said. "This notion that the church is a Medieval organization that never never never changes is too pessimistic."
But, Thayer added, "This new pope is going to be cut from the same cloth as the old one."
Regardless of the future pope's stance on LGBT issues, Thayer said, change within the Catholic church will come not from the pope's personality, but from pressure applied to the papacy.
Catholic Ministry for LGBT People, Hopes for a New Pope Who Will Listen
Statement Feb. 13, 2013
MOUNT RAINIER, Maryland—The following is the statement of New Ways Ministry's Executive Director Francis DeBernardo on the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation:
"The news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation has surprised the Catholic community worldwide, and here at New Ways Ministry we are praying for the future of the church and for the pope's health.
"We are praying, too, for LGBT Catholics and their families and friends, whose lives were made more difficult living under Benedict's reign both as pontiff and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), where he served previously. For the last three decades, Benedict has been one of the main architect's of the Vatican's policies against LGBT people.
"New Ways Ministry directly experienced those harsh policies several times over the years, most notably in 1999 when the CDF attempted to silence our organization's co-founders, Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent. Fortunately, we have survived the many attempts by the Vatican to end our ministry, and, thanks to the support of so many Catholics, we have emerged stronger for it. During the CDF's investigation of her ministry, Sister Jeannine serendipitously met Cardinal Ratzinger on a plane in Europe, and they had a conversation together about her case and about ministry to LGBT people. Sister Jeannine recalls that, despite their disagreement, she was impressed with him as a man dedicated to the church.
"Benedict XVI's dedication to the church, particularly to its intellectual life, has indeed been admirable. We pray that a new pope will combine his intelligence with true and deep pastoral concern for the lives of the people of the world. A new pope needs to be a listener who can discern the signs of the times in light of the Gospel.
"Is it inevitable that the next pope will be as conservative as Benedict has been? Certainly not. History reminds us that no one expected the election of Pope John XXIII in 1958, and in calling the Second Vatican Council, he clearly moved the church into a more progressive era. We trust that the Holy Spirit will guide our church in the days and years to come and that our faith, hope, and love will be strengthened by our next spiritual leader."
New Ways Ministry is a 36-year old national Catholic ministry of justice and reconciliation for LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) Catholics and the wider church community. For more information on the organization, its history and mission, visit our website: www.NewWaysMinistry.org , and our blog: www.NewWaysMinistryBlog.wordpress.com .
